Seeking the Truth
by DarkieFiery
Summary: Yoh and team are on the way to Patch Village. On the way, something happens and Ren and Yoh try to realize their true feelings.
1. Chapter 1: Decision

Seeking the Truth

Chapter 1: Decision

It was just another hot, suffocating day as Yoh and his team trudged forward under the sweltering sun. They were headed for Patch Village as part of their Shaman Fight.

Horohoro and Ren were walking at opposite sides of the road. They had had a rather heated quarrel over breakfast. It involved food, and Yoh had to step in to resolve the argument as bits of food had started flying all over. The heat wasn't helping at all. In fact, the heat had only made them flare up more often.

"Argh! This temperature is totally unbearable! I need more food!" Horohoro complained.

"You just had breakfast," Ren shot back. "You're depleting all our food supplies!"

"Well, then blame it on the weather."

Ren bit back a retort as they came to a fork in the road. He glanced at the directions the two roads led to. One led to a forested area, while the other just seemed to be a neverending landscape of sand and rocks.

"I say we go that way!" Two voices said in unison, but two fingers pointed at two different paths. A heated debate then started between Ren, who wanted to continue in the desert, and Horohoro, who wanted to go by the forest.

Meanwhile, Yoh called upon Amidamaru, his Guardian Spirit, and asked him to check out the two roads. Moments later, the samurai spirit reported back.

"Yoh-dono! They lead to the same destination, a small village, and look about the same length!" Amidamaru reported.

"Hm… That's a difficult decision… So… Which route shall we take?" Yoh pondered on the choices.

"We vote," Ren suggested. A diplomatic solution where no unnecessary fights would occur… or _usually_ no unnecessary fights would occur.

"Okay. Hands up for those who want to go by the forest!" Yoh announced.

Horohoro raised up his hand with enthusiasm. So did Yoh. Ryu followed with a muttered "I'll follow where Master Yoh goes."

Ren made a small noise of dissatisfaction. "Lyzerg, how about you?"

Lyzerg averted Ren's gaze and said, "I'm fine with any way."

"That makes 3-and-a-half for the forest versus 1-and-a-half for the desert! I win!" Horohoro shouted in triumph.

"Come on, Ren," Yoh consoled him. "Look on the bright side. It's much cooler this way. Would you rather be tortured under the unforgiving sun? Besides, ultraviolet rays are not good for your skin. You could get sunburnt, heatstroke, cataracts, skin cancer…"

"Okay, stop! I get your point." Ren grinned, despite himself. Yoh always had that effect on him. _An escape from the weather will be good..._

And so they headed along towards the distant forest, with the thoughts of much cooler days in mind.

_To be continued…_

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hahas. My first Shaman King fanfic. No signs of yaoi. Yet. I will add it later on! i promise! 


	2. Chapter 2: Separation

Heya! Sorry I couldn't update earlier. School started and lots of tests coming! Argh!

Don't think I will be updating anytime soon too.

Ok. And anyway, on to the fic!

* * *

Seeking the Truth 

Chapter 2: Separation

By nightfall, the weary group of travelers had already reached the fringes of the forest. They decided to set up camp there. Their guardian spirits kept watch as they unpacked their equipment and went hunting for food. Soon, their dinner was cooking merrily on a crackling fire. Horohoro was dribbling saliva just staring at the roasted boar meat.

"Hey, Horohoro, " Yoh, who was gazing up at the starry night sky, commented. "Try not to get your saliva all over our food."

"It looks good… " Horohoro continued with his drooling.

The relaxed atmosphere was broken by a huge sound coming from deep within the forest. Everyone's attention was drawn to a column of grey smoke in the distance. The thing that had caused the sound was headed in their direction, and fast. Before anyone could react, it was already right in front of them.

A familiar face, with a familiar smirk and a familiar red guardian spirit greeted them. A familiar voice spoke, "Yo, Yoh."

"Hao. So you were the one who caused that explosion, " Yoh deduced.

"Yes, my _smart_ little friend. It was me. Even a child could tell. " Hao teased.

Yoh turned red at the snide remark. He automatically took a step back. Hao was not one to be messed around with. _Why is he here? _Yoh thought.

Hao looked directly at Yoh and spoke. "Wondering why I'm here, my little _brother_? I am here for you." Grinning at Yoh's look of shock and disbelief, he repeated, "I am here for _you_."

* * *

Ren's mind was reeling. Hao had just said that… that Yoh was Hao's brother? No. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be. However, it would explain why Yoh looked so much like Hao. Ren shook his head, trying to deny it. It had to be a passing remark. Yes. That was it. Just a passing remark. Yoh couldn't have such a horrible sibling. Ren wasn't the only one having trouble absorbing the information. Lyzerg beside him was wide-eyed with shock. He was staring at the two so-called brothers with an incredulous expression.

Ren glanced back at Yoh. Yoh was an expression of disbelief and shock. "B-bro-brother?" he managed to stutter.

"Yes. My little _BROTHER_." Hao sighed. "You are such slow learners. Ah, well, I shall continue with my task." With that, he called upon his guardian spirit, the Spirit of Fire, and ordered him to attack. The Spirit of Fire made a sweeping gesture. Something invisible caught them up in the stomach and threw all of them high up into the air. They were unconscious when they came crashing down onto the ground.

Hao proceeded to carry Yoh's unconscious body with his hands. Yoh's frame hung limply in his grasp as he called upon his spirit and flew into the dark night sky, disappearing in the distance.

* * *

Ren blinked once, then twice. The sun rays were blinding. _Sun?_ He sat bolt upright and observed his surroundings. They were still at the campsite, but their belongings were all strewn around. Around him, Horohoro, Lyzerg and Ryu lay unconscious. He looked around wildly for Yoh, but couldn't find him at all. 

_Where's Yoh? What happened?_

Then he remembered. That night (how many days ago, hi did not know), Hao had came and ordered the Spirit of Fire to attack them, when they were all shocked at the announcement of Yoh having him as a brother. He must have had taken Yoh after knocking them out. Ren cursed. He had been caught by surprise. He would not allow that to happen again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Horohoro stirring. Ren was jerked out of his thoughts. He got up and hurried to Horohoro's side, helping him to an upright position. Horohoro looked around. After a moment, he asked, "Where's Yoh?"

"I don't know. I think Hao must have taken him away after knocking us out."

"Oh" was all Horohoro said. Then the information sank in. "WHAT! Hao! Took Yoh!" He exploded. "THAT maniac!"

Ren sighed. "Yes. THAT maniac." And just when he thought Horohoro was mature enough to help think of a solution, instead of panicking. He sighed again, and looked up at the clear blue sky, hoping that a brilliant stroke of genius would strike him and let him get out of this situation. He wanted their Leader back badly. And he wanted to straighten out the facts with Hao.

* * *

This leader in question was at that moment still unconscious, and in unfamiliar surroundings. To be more precise, in a tent, shielded from the elements outside. Yoh was lying on a thin bed, with a blanket draped across him. 

Yoh turned and rolled out of his bed. He blinked and sat up.

_Where am I? _

Yoh got up and studied his surroundings. Not seeing anyone familiar around, he paused at the opening of the tent. Then, he cautiously opened the tent flap and peered out.

He found himself gazing at an oasis. A large pond was surrounded by dozens of lush green coconut trees, barren with delicious looking coconuts. Nearby, there were a few tents like the one he was in. On the opposite bank of the pond, atop a rock, sat a long-haired boy. Seeing Yoh awake, he got off his sitting spot and strolled over.

"Nice to see you are awake, Yoh." Hao said.

"Where are my friends?" Yoh demanded. "Tell me!"

"Whoa. Getting worked up, are we?" Hao smirked. "Well, to answer your question, I knocked them out and left them lying. They're safe. That's what you want to hear, right?"

Yoh heaved a sigh of relief. His friends were alright.

"Ah… Don't feel relieved just yet. You're still here, without both your spirit guardian and your sword. In other words, you're weaponless. And I can still attack your friends, you know. They are really weak."

Yoh had noticed something was missing when he woke up, but he didn't quite know what it was. Now that Hao had pointed it out, he realized that Amidamaru and Harusame were gone. That familiar, comforting sensation of his spirit guardian was not there. Hao held up a stone tablet and Yoh made a grab for it.

"Not so fast, little brother. You are not getting him back that easily."

"Why do you call me 'little brother'? I mean, you were born 1,000 years ago, and I am your descendant. No way I am your brother… right?" Yoh asked.

Hao sighed and replied, "Ah, well… Fate plays tricks on us. Seeing that you are weaponless _and_ powerless" at this point, Yoh glared at him, "I shall explain."

Hao motioned Yoh to reenter the tent and sit on his makeshift bed. _Finally_, Yoh thought, _somebody who could explain everything._

_To be continued…_

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wahaha. Weird chapter. Haha.Thank you for all those reviews and please keep them coming in!


	3. Chapter 3: Knowledge

Chapter 3: Knowledge

Hao motioned Yoh to sit on the bed while he sat on the ground.

"Hm… So, where shall we begin? At the start? Very well."

"I shall begin with my past. I was born 1000 years ago, as you know. I have also mastered the Elements, and have control over my life. You know that my dream is to create a world of only Shamans. Imagine, Yoh! No weak, useless, cowardly humans. Only us, the shamans! Yoh, we can created that world together. Join me."

Yoh shook his head. "Never, Hao."

"No? Oh, well, as I expected. You are strong-willed, like me. Anyway, you are me, and I will claim back what is mine." Looking at Yoh's confused look, he chuckled. "Ah, well. I shall not bother much about my past. Now, on to _your_ past."

"I shall start with the night you were born. On that night, your mother was with child, about to deliver. However, she was about to deliver to not one, but _two _children. Never knew, did you? Your father, grandfather and grandmother were all very worried. Yes. That night was the night Hao, the demon Hao was to be reborn. They were willing to do anything to stop my birth, and they were going to kill both the twins. You should be grateful to me, you know? I saved your life. If it wasn't for me, I would have killed you. I, of course, would have escaped.

"I was born first, and your grandfather was about to kill me. He underestimated me. I am not that easily killed. The Spirit of Fire defeated him while I escaped, unscathed." Hao smiled at Yoh's shocked expression. His thoughts were so _easy_ to read. Right now, Yoh was trying to accept all that had been told to him.

"Yes. You know what that means. You are a part of me. I shall claim back what is mine, one day."

Hao decided to leave Yoh to sort out his confused thoughts privately. He got up, dusted himself and headed for the door.

Before he could even reach the door, Yoh called out to him. "Why did you kidnap me?"

Hao turned back and replied rather smugly,"Don't use the word_ kidnap_. _Rescue_ suits it better. I plan to kill your teammates. They are having too much influence on you. Now, I won't want to risk you getting killed, would I?" Hao paused, and then added, "Oh and I can read your thoughts, you know, little brother. Best keep them safe, if I were you."

With that, he strolled out of the tent, chuckling yet again at Yoh's bewildered expression.

* * *

Ren was staring at the starry night sky. His other teammates were all asleep. They had appointed him temporary leader. Of course, they had to. He was the only one suited for the job. Horohoro was to immature to handle responsibility, Ryu was to depressed about what happened to Yoh, and Lyzerg had too much anger at Hao for him to lead the team. However, Ren couldn't sleep at all. There was this empty feeling in his heart that kept him awake. He wondered what was happening to Yoh. _Nothing good_, he thought. With Hao, you could never know what was going to happen. Yoh could end up joining Hao. He shivered at the thought. If Yoh was gone, he felt that he could no longer have the will to live. 

No. What am I thinking? Yoh isn't the whole world. We're friends. Just friends.

And what was it about Yoh that Hao wanted?

Ren couldn't fathom why Hao was after Yoh. And that thing about brother… he sighed. Ah, well, he could deal with those in the morning. He returned to his bed and started counting sheep.

* * *

Yoh woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar tent and a pile of clothes on the ground beside him. He sighed. He had been hoping it was all a dream. However, he would have to just accept it now. He wondered how Ren and the rest would deal with the news when they hear about him being Hao's twin. He was sure Lyzerg would detest him. He sighed yet again. This was going to be troublesome. He put on a white robe and wondered why no one had told him of him being Hao's twin before. 

Ren… Yoh expected that Ren would be worried about him. Recently, Ren had seemed more than a friend… Yoh suspected that he had developed feelings for the other shaman. He guessed that it was after Ren's personality had changed for the better. Yoh had started liking him more and more, regardless of how icy he had been when they first met. He never expected that he missed Ren that much that he couldn't stop thinking of him. He missed Ren's retorts, his weird spiky hair… _Better stop thinking. Hao did mention he could read my thoughts. He might get irritated and kill Ren straight away._

Yoh gulped and pushed down that nasty thought. He reached out, pulled open the tent flap, and almost bumped into a little girl, carrying a small tray.

The dark-skinned girl, with short curly hair, spoke, "Yoh-sama… Hao-sama asked Opacho to bring Yoh-sama his breakfast. Yoh-sama wakes up so late."

Yoh smiled and reached out to relieve the tray from her. "Opacho. You're Opacho, right?" She nodded. Yoh continued, "Thank you for bringing this to me. Do you know what Hao wants me to do?"

Opacho shook her head and replied, " Opacho doesn't know, but Opaco thinks Yoh-sama should stay here until Hao-sama comes." She studied Yoh, then said, "Opacho thinks Yoh-sama is as nice as Hao-sama, but they seem so different." With that, she left Yoh and headed back in the direction she came from.

Yoh took the tray and started eating his breakfast which consisted of toast and some orange juice. If Hao did indeed plan to kill Ren and the others, the least he could do was to return and warn his teammates about it. He definitely could not stand at one side watching the fight, not being able to help. He wanted to fight with them. The only problem was how to get Amidamaru back. Without his guardian spirit, he was utterly helpless. He admitted that he did depend a lot on his guardian spirit. All Anna helped train was his stamina, not fighting skills. He would have to find a way to get it back, and fast.

Over breakfast, he pondered on it and finally decided he would try his luck on getting it back. If all went well, he would be able to escape by that day. However, something was bound to go wrong somewhere… right?

_To be continued…_

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_Hahas.. weird chap.. Iam just repeating some parts of what was in the anime, just simplified.

I shall try to meet my target of updating every 2 weeks. It may take longer sometimes, though._ Gambatte ne!_

And thank you for the reviews! Keep them coming!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The pendulum swung over an area, then stopped.

"That way." Lyzerg said, pointing towards the west. "About a-day-and-a-half walk from here."

Ren stared down at the map they had again. They had bought it at the last town and it had proven its use to them. It had helped them locate Yoh, and calm Ren's worried heart. He had been having a sleepless night worrying about Yoh. Now he knew that he was able to do something and that was better than sitting around idling.

"Okay. Let's head there and rescue Yoh from Hao's evil cluthes!" Ren said out loud, although in his heart, he wondered how they were going to knock Hao down in the first place. Well, as Yoh always said, everything would work out in the end. Ren smiled. Thinking about Yoh always brought him a soothing feeling, making him feel at ease.

Ren glanced at his teammates. All had a determined expression, intent on their task of looking for Yoh. They set off in the direction Lyzerg had pointed out, hopes high on that the first step of their mission would succeed: Finding Yoh.

* * *

Meanwhile, Opacho had returned to Hao's side. Hao was sitting outside his tent, looking at Yoh's tent. 

"Hao-sama… Are you really going to kill Yoh-sama's friends?"

Hao turned and looked at the short, dark-skinned girl, seemed to contemplate his answer, then continued to stare ahead. He replied, "Killing them? Well, I did not actually plan to do that. I just wanted to watch Yoh's reaction to that…" Hao grinned, then continued, "However, if he appears to be rather uncooperative, I may kill them. So, their lives shall depend on him."

All was silent for a moment, then Hao asked, "Opacho… do you like Yoh?"

Opacho nodded. "I think Yoh-sama is very nice, even though he is not as great as Hao-sama."

"Well, he is a valuable part of me, after all. It is only logical that you like him."

The tent-flap they were both watching opened. Hao got up from his sitting position, dusted himself, and said, "Finally, it seems that Yoh is going to make a move."

* * *

Yoh had decided to take action. Hao would most probably have hidden the tablet in his tent, and that was where Yoh would go. If it wasn't there, then, well… he would think of something else. If it was… he would think of how to reach it. Hao would be there too, most likely watching over it. 

Yoh poked his head out of the tent, then glanced left and right, trying to see which was Hao's tent. It had to be the biggest one, so Yoh headed in that direction.

Upon reaching it, he glanced left and right yet again, making sure no one was around. _Why am I doing this so secretively? It's not like I am a criminal or convict or some sort of shady character… Ah, well…_

Yoh pulled open the tent flap. On a small table in a corner of the tent, he saw a tablet. _There!_ He thought. Excitedly, he took a step forward…

…And fell into a hole of what he initially thought was solid ground.

Yoh grimaced as he got up and rubbed his behind. Hao was up to his weird tricks, as usual. Yoh just wished that his tricks weren't so painful.

Just then, a shadow fell over the opening of the hole. Yoh looked up and saw Hao grinning down at him. "Boo!" Hao gave one of his irritable smiles. _Speak of the devil. Well… how could I have fallen for the oldest trick in the book?_

"That's because you're naïve, otouto-kun. Well, don't they say that the simplest tricks are the most effective ones?" Hao chuckled. "I knew you were coming. You're _SO_ predictable."

With that, Hao walked away from the hole, with Opacho following loyally behind, leaving Yoh to find his own way out of the trap that he had blindly walked into.

* * *

Approximately one hour and 15 minutes later, Yoh was sitting beside that deep hole and panting rather heavily. It had taken him a while, one hour, to be exact, to realize that Hao had put footholds and handholds in the pit. Then it took him another 15 minutes to locate exactly where they were and make his way out. He hated the fact that the pit was so deep, but he was starting to like his elder brother's weird sense of humour. Yoh felt a grin spread across his face. He felt that he wanted to know this brother of his better. They had spent so many years apart and now that they were together, Yoh felt that they could make up for the lost time. 

Hao was standing at the doorway. He smiled when he heard Yoh's thoughts. Wanted to know him better, huh? Well… that won't be that It seemed to be an insult to his great name.

Yoh suddenly remembered that Amidamaru was what he set out for. He rushed over to the table and grabbehe couldn't understand himself, how could he expect someone that… dense and stubborn… to understand him?

Hao decided to announce his presence. "You are slow. Taking so long to climb out of one small hole like that"

Yoh gave a start. Then Hao's words came back to him_. Slow… Small hole…_ the words echoed in Yoh's brain.

"I am sure all my comrades would have taken less that 30 minutes to get out. Even Opacho would have been capable of that easy feat."

Yoh fell back onto the floor. He knew Hao and his comrades were all better than him. Hao did not have to rub it in.

"Well, at least you managed to get out. You've earned your prize."

Yoh stared at him like he was speaking Greek or something. "Huh?" was all he could say.

"What you were here for in the first place." Hao gritted his teeth. He was getting impatient. He couldn't believe that his other half was that dense. Sure, he knew Yoh was dense, but he didn't expect it was that bad. It seemed to be an insult to his great name.

Yoh suddenly remembered that Amidamaru was what he set out for. He rushed over to the table and grabbed the tablet. A flustered samurai appeared.

"Yoh-dono! What happened? It was so dark and scary in there!" Amidamaru wailed while clinging on to Yoh, as if for dear life.

Glancing at Hao, Yoh replied, "Erm… Hao kid – I mean – brought us here."

Before Amidamaru could speak, Hao interjected, "I am so sorry to interrupt this very touching reunion, but I would very much appreciate it if I could have my privacy back. If you don't mind…" Hao gestured to the open tent flap.

Yoh got the idea and brought his still-wailing spirit guardian out. Then, he headed back to his temporary tent, intending to bring Amidamaru up-to-date on the recent events.

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This authoress has a block and will not be updating anytime soon... suggestions are very much welcome though 

Will have a really gigantic problem updating until I get the plot roughly fixed out in my mind.. I have learnt my lesson of improper planning...

And once again, thank you for all those reviews! )

**Exploded Toilet Bowl:** eh... I know it's still very short.. but at least this was a longer chapter than chapter 3! haha.

To the rest of the reviewers: thank you once again!


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